Lunchbox Laboratory

Chef Scott Simpson, most recently in the kitchen at now-defunct Fork on Capitol Hill, says he's close to opening his new casual Ballard/Crown Hill area eatery, Lunchbox Laboratory. Named for its experimental, quirky approach to retro dishes -- Simpson calls the food ?retro-American-turned-contemporary? -- Lunchbox Laboratory will serve lunch and dinner and a Cafe du Monde-inspired weekend brunch. (Yes, that means beignets.) He says he?s trying to keep the menu on the healthier side, but we will find a few heart-stopping options: There will always be a take-off on traditional T.V. dinners on the ever-changing chalkboard menu, as well as burgers made from hand-ground organic meats, served with ?funky cheeses? on house-made buns. If his food is as interesting (read: odd, or creative, your choice) as his emerging website seems it might be (when was the last time you saw a page entitled ?various nonsense and mind manipulation? on a restaurant?s website?), it could be an experiment of a lunch spot, indeed. I can't wait.